scholarly journals Impact of the landfill of ashes from the smelter on the soil environment: case study from the South Poland, Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1453-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Twaróg ◽  
Magdalena Mamak ◽  
Henryk Sechman ◽  
Piotr Rusiniak ◽  
Ewelina Kasprzak ◽  
...  

Abstract The following research describes the influence of a metallurgical ash dump on both the soil environment and the atmosphere. Soil samples were collected along a line positioned on an unprotected, hazardous ash dump and extended into the adjacent, arable land. Three soil depths were sampled at 0–20-, 20–40- and 40–60-cm depth intervals, and in each sample, pseudo-total concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, Zn, Li, Sr and V were analyzed. Additionally, emissions of CH4 and CO2 were measured at each sampling site. All emission measurements were taken in the same day, and the duration of gas measurements in each place was six minutes. The results demonstrate elevated concentrations of Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn on dump surface and along its margins, where the maximum concentrations of these elements are, respectively, 82, 23, 1144 and 8349 mg kg−1. Obtained results exceed several times both the natural background values and the values typical of local soils in the southern Poland. Moreover, natural background values for Fe, Mn, Ni, Li, Sr and V were exceeded, as well. Along the sampling line, no methane emission was detected, whereas the carbon dioxide flux varied from 7 to 42 g m−2 d−1. The reconnaissance study of the ash dump revealed a high contamination level of soils with heavy metals, which, together with the changes of soil environment, may cause migration of pollutants into the adjacent areas and, consequently, may generate hazard to the environment and, particularly, to the living organisms. Hence, further studies are necessary in order to evaluate the soil quality and the leaching of heavy metals from the dump.

Author(s):  
Ayeku, P. Oluwagbemiga ◽  
Ogundele, L. Tunde ◽  
Adeniyi, I. Funsho

The present study was carried out to assess the pollution status of heavy metals in the marine sediment in Ondo coastal area. A total of 36 sediment samples were collected from the three locations (Awoye, Abereke and Ayetoro) once in a month in 2015 covering both dry and wet season. The sediment samples were subjected to digestion and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to measure the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn. The measured concentrations data were used for evaluating the contamination level and accumulation status of heavy metals in sediment by employing several pollution indices: contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (Cdeg), pollution load index (PLI), enrichment factor (EF) and index of geoaccumulation (Igeo). The results showed that Fe had the highest average concentration values of 248.00§ 20.00 and 324.33§ 5.80 mg/kg at Awoye sampling site for wet and dry season, respectively while the highest mean concentration of Mn were 271.77±9.50 and 295±10.06 mg/kg at Abereke and Ayetoro, respectively. The contamination factor (CF) values for As, Cd and Mn were 1 < CF < 3, indicating a moderate contamination. The results of Cdeg were ranged from 8.6 to 12.5 for both dry and wet season except in Ayetoro site that had 7.8 in the wet season. The PLI values were 0.47, 0.50 and 0.54 (<1) for Abereke, Awoye and Ayetoro sites, respectively, denoting unpolluted conditions. The EF values for Pb and Ni obtained from all the sites ranged from 20.8 to 38.9, showing their significantly enriched in sediment. The Igeo values of As, Cr, Fe, V, Zn and Cu were less than one (Igeo <1) for the three sampling locations in both seasons, implying that the sediments in the study area are practically uncontaminated by these metals. Pb had the Igeo values of 2.80 and 2.85 during dry and wet season at Awoye sampling site while Ni had 2.57 at Abereke only in the dry season. The heavy metals in sediment might be derived from the upstream rivers from the top soil, mechanically weathered rock materials and anthropogenic activities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-330
Author(s):  
Marta Marszałek ◽  
Zygmunt Kowalski ◽  
Agnieszka Makara

Abstract Pig slurry is a heterogeneous mixture of faeces, urine, undigested remains of feed items and water used for flushing of animal excrement and to maintain the proper hygiene of livestock housing. It is formed on farms which use the non-bedding system of pig breeding i.e. animals are kept on the partially or fully slatted floors. According to the Polish law pig slurry is defined as a liquid natural fertilizer intended for agricultural use. The storage and application of pig slurry on arable land affect the surroundings and may create a number of serious risks related to, among others, the pollution of water-soil environment with biogenic elements, heavy metals, pathogens and pharmaceuticals. The article presents the reasons for the occurrence of excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, zinc and antibiotics in pig slurry. The possibility of microbial and pharmaceutical contamination of water, soil and plants as well as their pollution with biogens and heavy metals as a result of improper storage and excessive spreading of pig slurry have been characterized. Moreover, methods of preventing the above-mentioned threats with reference to Polish and EU legal acts have been discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongya Niu ◽  
Zhenxiao Wu ◽  
Fanli Xue ◽  
Zhaoce Liu ◽  
Wei Hu ◽  
...  

Purpose This study aims to acquire a better understanding on the characteristics and risks of heavy metals (HMs) in PM2.5 from an industrial city – Handan, China. Design/methodology/approach PM2.5 samples were collected on the basis of daytime and nighttime at the state controlling air sampling site in Handan city. Ten metal elements (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Rb, Sr, Cd and Ba) in PM2.5 were determined with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The pollution levels of metals were characterized by enrichment factors, and the sources of metals were identified with principle component analysis and cluster analysis. The ecological and health risks of metals were assessed using ecological and health risk indexes. Findings Results showed that the highest and lowest PM2.5 concentration appeared in winter and summer, respectively. The concentration of PM2.5 at night was higher than in the daytime in winter, yet it is the opposite in other seasons. The total mass concentration of detected metals was the highest in winter, and the total mass concentration in the daytime was higher than at night in all four seasons. The elements V, Rb, Sr and Ba exhibited a deficient contamination level; Cr, Ni and Cu exhibited a moderate contamination level; while Fe and Cd were at an extreme contamination level. The metals in PM2.5 originated from a mixture source of fossil fuel combustion and manufacture and use of metallic substances (34.04%), natural source (26.01%) and construction and traffic-related road dust (17.58%). Results from the ecological risk model showed that the ecological risk of metals was very high, especially risks related to Cd. Health risk model presented that both the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk coefficients of metals were above the tolerance level of the human body. Originality/value The significance of the study is to further know the pollution characteristics of PM2.5 and related HMs in Handan city, and to provide references for ensuring local resident health and ecological environment.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 841
Author(s):  
Marina Burachevskaya ◽  
Saglara Mandzhieva ◽  
Tatiana Bauer ◽  
Tatiana Minkina ◽  
Vishnu Rajput ◽  
...  

The presence of heavy metals in the soil could impose serious problems on soil-plant systems due to the accumulation of heavy metals in plants. Even vital elements such as Cu and Zn have a toxic effect in the case of excessive intake by living organisms. The present work aimed to investigate the content of loosely bound (exchangeable, complexed, and specifically sorbed) compounds of Cu and Zn and their availability to spring barley (Hordeum sativum distichum) in contaminated Haplic Chernozem soil under the conditions of a model experiment (five approximate permissible concentrations (APC) and 10 APC of metal). Changes in the bioavailability of the metals upon application of carbon sorbents were observed. An increase in loosely bound metal compounds has been shown under conditions of soil contamination with metals (up to 57% of the total content). The increase in the availability of Cu in the soil was mainly due to the formation of complexed metal forms with organic matter (up to 17%). The availability of Zn was found to be associated with an increase in exchangeable (up to 21%) and specifically sorbed compounds (up to 27%). Granular activated carbon (GAC) and biochar have high sorption properties. A decrease in the content of loosely bound compounds of metals was established, especially in the most mobile forms such as exchangeable and complexed forms. The introduction of sorbents into the soil opened up a new venue for binding heavy metals in situ, eventually leading to a decrease in their bioavailability. The inactivation of Cu and Zn in the soil upon the application of sorbents led to a decrease in metal absorption by spring barley. The highest efficiency of biochar application was established at a dose of 2.5% and 5% in soil contaminations of 5 APC and 10 APC of Cu or Zn. The efficiency of the use of sorbents was more influenced by the dose of application than by the type of sorbent. There was no significant difference between biochar and GAC. Stabilization and inactivation of metals may improve soil fertility and plant growth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongping Liu ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Huibin Yu ◽  
Hongjie Gao ◽  
Weining Xu

Abstract Background Heavy metal pollution of aquatic systems is a global issue that has received considerable attention. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and potential ecological risk index (PERI) have been applied to heavy metal data to trace potential factors, identify regional differences, and evaluate ecological risks. Sediment cores of 200 cm in depth were taken using a drilling platform at 10 sampling sites along the Xihe River, an urban river located in western Shenyang City, China. Then they were divided into 10 layers (20 cm each layer). The concentrations of the As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured for each layer. Eight heavy metals, namely Pb, Zn, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Hg, were measured for each layer in this study. Results The average concentrations of the As, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Zn were significantly higher than their background values in soils in the region, and mainly gathered at 0–120 cm in depth in the upstream, 0–60 cm in the midstream, and 0–20 cm downstream. This indicated that these heavy metals were derived from the upstream areas where a large quantity of effluents from the wastewater treatment plants enter the river. Ni, Pb, and Cr were close or slightly higher than their background values. The decreasing order of the average concentration of Cd was upstream > midstream > downstream, so were Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn. The highest concentration of As was midstream, followed by upstream and then downstream, which was different to Cd. The potential factors of heavy metal pollution were Cd, Cu, Hg, Zn, and As, especially Cd and Hg with the high ecological risks. The ecological risk levels of all heavy metals were much higher in the upstream than the midstream and downstream. Conclusions Industrial discharge was the dominant source for eight heavy metals in the surveyed area, and rural domestic sewage has a stronger influence on the Hg pollution than industrial pollutants. These findings indicate that effective management strategies for sewage discharge should be developed to protect the environmental quality of urban rivers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Endang Supriyantini ◽  
Hadi Endrawati

Logam berat Fe merupakan logam berat essensial yang keberadaannya dalam jumlah tertentu sangat dibutuhkan oleh organisme hidup, namun dalam jumlah yang berlebih dapat menimbulkan efek racun.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kandungan dan tingkat pencemaran logam berat Fe pada air, sedimen, dan kerang hijau (Perna viridis) di perairan Tanjung Emas Semarang. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada tanggal 7 November dan 7 Desember 2013 dengan metode penelitian deskriptif. Logam berat Fe dalam sampel air, sedimen dan kerang hijau dianalisis di Laboratorium Balai Besar Teknologi Pencegahan Pencemaran Industri (BTPPI) Semarang dengan menggunakan metode AAS (AtomicAbsorption Spectrophotometry). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perairan Tanjung Emas masih dalam taraf terkontaminasi logam Fe. Sedangkan pada sedimen dan pada kerang hijau (Perna viridis) sudah terindikasi tercemar logam Fe.Meskipun demikian variasi faktor lingkungan seperti suhu, salinitas, pH, kecepatan arus dan jenis sedimen juga memberikan kontribusi yang cukup penting terhadap kandungan logam Fe.Kata Kunci: logam Fe, Air, Sedimen, Perna viridis, metode AAS Heavy metalsiron(Fe) is anessentialheavy metalswhose presencein a certain amountis neededby living organisms, but inexcessiveamountscan causetoxic effects.The aims of the research is to analyze the heavy metals coccentration and the pollution level of Fe in water, sediment, and green mussels (Perna viridis) at Tanjung Emas Semarang. This research was conducted from 7 November and 7 December 2013 using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) and research methodswithdescriptive. The results showed that the waters of the Tanjung Emas is still in the stage of heavy metals contaminated iron (Fe). Sediment and green mussels (Perna viridis)already indicated heavy metal contaminatediron. However, variations inenvironmental factorssuch astemperature, salinity, pH, flow velocity an dsediment types also providean important contributionto heavy metal contentof iron(Fe).Key Words: Fe, water, sediment, Perna viridis, metode AAS


Author(s):  
Garba Uba ◽  
Motharasan Manogaran ◽  
Baskaran Gunasekaran ◽  
Mohd Izuan Effendi Halmi ◽  
Mohd Yunus Abd Shukor

Heavy metals pollution in the Straits of Malacca warrants the development of rapid, simple and sensitive assays. Enzyme-based assays are excellent preliminary screening tool with near real-time potential. The heavy-metal assay based on the protease ficin was optimized for mercury detection using Response Surface Methodology. The inhibitive assay is based on ficin action on the substrate casein and residual casein is determined using the Coomassie dye-binding assay. Heavy metals strongly inhibit the hydrolysis. A Central Composite Design (CCD) was utilized to optimize detection. The results show a marked improvement for the concentration causing 50% inhibition (IC50) for mercury, silver and copper. Compared to One-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) optimization, RSM gave an improvement of IC50 from 0.060 (95% CI, 0.0300.080) to 0.017 (95% CI, 0.0160.019), from 0.098 (95% CI, 0.0770.127) to 0.028 (95% CI, 0.0220.037) and from 0.040 (95% CI, 0.035.045) to 0.023 (95% CI, 0.0200.027), for mercury, silver and copper, respectively. A near real-time monitoring of mercury concentration in the Straits of Malacca at one location in Port Klang was carried out over a 4-h interval for a total of 24 h and validated by instrumental analysis with the result revealing an absence of mercury pollution in the sampling site.


2021 ◽  
pp. 2947-2956
Author(s):  
Nazym Kozhanova ◽  
Nurzhan Sarsembayeva ◽  
Bozena Lozowicka ◽  
Zhassulan Kozhanov

Background and Aim: The quality of food, especially animal-based food, is crucial for human health. However, the quality of milk and other animal products has become an acute cause for concern in Kazakhstan . Technogenic dispersion of heavy metals (HMs) causes adverse effects on living organisms and creates unfavorable conditions for the existence of humans, animals, and plants. The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of several HMs in samples of soil, horse feed (hay, mixed feed, and bran), mare's milk, and manure to assess bioaccumulation and possible adverse effects on the bodies of horses. An additional purpose was to identify areas with acceptable conditions for obtaining environmentally safe horse breeding products in the agricultural zones of the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. Materials and Methods: Samples were obtained from two farms in the Almaty region in 2020 (spring, summer, and autumn). In total, 72 soil samples were analyzed, which were taken from the upper humus horizon to the depth of the arable layer. Eighty-six samples were taken from the feed of horses. Green feed was represented by perennial and annual grasses (alsike clover, Medicago sativa, sweet yellow clover, as well as pea and oat mix). Barley and wheat bran stored in the warehouses of the farm were sampled for the research as feed supplements. The mixed feed comprised components such as maize and sunflower. In addition, 46 samples of mare's milk and 28 samples of horse manure were collected. The HM analysis was performed in the laboratory of the Kazakh-Japanese Innovation Center. The residual amounts of HMs were determined using an absorption spectrometer with a voltammetric analyzer. The content of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) in all the studied samples of soil, feed, mare's milk, and manure did not exceed the threshold limit values (TLVs), suggesting that the intake of these toxic elements into the human body with food was low. Results: The average Cd concentration was in the range of 0.29-0.31 mg/kg in soil samples and in the range of 0.20-0.27 mg/kg in feed samples. In milk, the Cd concentration varied from 0.01 to 0.02 mg/L and was lower in summer and higher in fall. The total average Cd content in horse manure was 0.1844 mg/kg. The concentration of Pb in soil samples ranged from 1.09 to 1.30 mg/kg with the lowest value in spring and the highest in fall. In the feed, the concentration of Pb varied from 0.14 to 0.76 mg/kg and in milk from 0.03 to 0.15 mg/L. The average concentrations of Hg and As in soil samples averaged 0.022 and 0.019 mg/kg, respectively, and were within the TLVs. Conclusion: In the study areas, the calculated transition rates in the soil–feed–milk–manure system revealed that the greatest transition of HMs was observed for Pb and Cd, and a smaller migration was observed for Hg and As. The tendency of accumulation of trace elements continued in the feed.


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